Ep. 136: Amrut Indian Whisky with Raj Sabharwal aka @whiskyraj

2024-04-17

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Pioneering Indian Single Malt Raj's return brings news about Amrut, the king of Indian Single Malt. It is no longer the only Indian Single Malt on the market like it was in 2004, but neither has Amrut been sitting on its laurels. With Ashok Chokalingham at the helm as head distiller - a post he gained after many years in sales and production - Amrut is promoting the idea of Indian Single Malt while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what that can mean. With the four expressions I tried with Raj, each were an e...

Pioneering Indian Single Malt

Raj's return brings news about Amrut, the king of Indian Single Malt. It is no longer the only Indian Single Malt on the market like it was in 2004, but neither has Amrut been sitting on its laurels.

With Ashok Chokalingham at the helm as head distiller - a post he gained after many years in sales and production - Amrut is promoting the idea of Indian Single Malt while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what that can mean.

With the four expressions I tried with Raj, each were an experiment. The Single Malts of India Kurinji was distilled at a different Indian distillery but aged entirely at Amrut's warehouses in Bangalore, 3000' above sea level with relatively low humidity. What would that whisky have tasted like at sea level? At its home distillery? Who knows - all I know is that it tastes damn good.

The Triparva is a triple-distilled single malt, echoing the butteriness and spice from Irish whiskies while staying true to the core Amrut profile (probably something to do with the 6-row instead of 2-row barley). The rye is a 100% malted rye, using Scandinavian grain but otherwise running it like they would a "normal" barley-based single malt; the spicy and herbaceous rye comes out like a custard, rounded and polished while still letting you know it's a rye.

Finally, the Naarangi, a whisky that uses sherry casks that have been seasoned for multiple years with locally grown oranges that give a distinctly tart flavor to cut through the sherry sweetness.

The sad news is that for two of the Amruts - the Rye and the Triparva - this is the last time they will be produced and released. The Naarangi is up in the air, but it won't be a regular release. Ashok has created over 40 different varieties of single malt based on flavors, casks, grains, and interplays between those three - there will always be more Amrut, but not always more of those releases. So grab them before they're gone (and if you listen to the episode and still don't want them, buy one for a friend).

Thanks everyone for listening, and thank you to Raj for returning to the Whiskey Ring!

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Amrut Indian Single Malt